Maple Leafs News

Toronto Maple Leafs unveil "The One Hundred"

31-member committee selects The One Hundred greatest players in franchise history Commemorative poster to be sold at GTA Canadian Tire stores to raise funds for community programs

by
Toronto Maple Leafs
/ MapleLeafs.com

As the franchise prepares for its Centennial Anniversary home opener tomorrow night, the Toronto Maple Leafs announced today the definitive list of the one hundred greatest players in team history at Real Sports Bar & Grill with 'The One Hundred' presented by Canadian Tire. Dave Keon, who had his statue on Legends Row unveiled yesterday, was selected by the committee as the greatest player of the past 100 years.

As part of the celebration of The One Hundred, a commemorative team illustration of the 100 players voted as the greatest players in Maple Leafs history has been produced and will be sold exclusively at Canadian Tire stores throughout the Greater Toronto Area with net proceeds being donated to Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, MLSE Foundation and the Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni Association.

"An important part of the Maple Leafs Centennial celebrations is recognizing the many great players and their accomplishments while wearing these iconic sweaters over the past 100 years," said Brendan Shanahan, President and Alternate Governor of the Toronto Maple Leafs. "Compiling the list of The One Hundred, as you'd expect with so many legendary players, was an extensive process but it was a labour of love for many, including the fans who submitted more than 300,000 votes online. On behalf of the club, congratulations to the 100 players who made this very distinguished list."

The One Hundred list is the result of rankings submitted by a 31-member committee made up of prominent members of the hockey community, including a public fan vote that counted as the 31st member. Each committee member submitted a ranked list with a first-place rank garnering 100 points and a 100th place rank receiving one point. 191 of 949 eligible players received at least one vote. Ten different players received at least one first-place vote from the committee.

"Hockey ignites a shared passion from coast-to-coast - it has the power to unite families, communities, and the nation. As Canada's store, we recognize the significance of The Maple Leafs Centennial for the team and fans alike," said Susan O'Brien, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Corporate Affairs at Canadian Tire. "We are thrilled to help celebrate The One Hundred by supporting future generations of hockey greats with all in-store commemorative team illustration proceeds being donated to Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, MLSE Foundation and the Toronto Maple Leafs Alumni Association."

After Keon in the top spot, the remainder of the Top 10 on The One Hundred list is made up of Syl Apps (2); Ted Kennedy (3); Darryl Sittler (4); Mats Sundin (5); Tim Horton (6); Johnny Bower (7); Borje Salming (8); Frank Mahovlich (9) and Turk Broda (10). The complete list of The One Hundred is included below.

Of The One Hundred, 96 of the players wore a Maple Leafs uniform, seven wore a St. Pat's uniform and four wore the Toronto Arenas uniform. Seven players wore two of those uniforms (Hap Day, Ace Bailey, Babe Dye, Reg Noble, Harry Cameron, Jack Adams, Corb Denneny) while one player (Denneny) wore all three. The list is made up of 65 forwards, 25 defencemen and 10 goaltenders. There were 18 Maple Leaf captains named to the list and 53 of The One Hundred are still alive.

In the case of ties in the rankings, of which there were four, ties were broken by giving the player who received the single highest rank from any one committee member, the higher rank on the final list. Aside from the four ties, which occurred in the second half of the list, there were some close votes in the top half with Sittler edging Sundin by just three points, Mahovlich surpassing Broda by two points and Horton beating out Bower by a single point.

A commemorative The One Hundred poster, illustrated by Canadian artist Greg Banning, will depict the 100 greatest players wearing the sweater from their era on the current Air Canada Centre ice with Maple Leaf Gardens seating in the background. The poster will retail at 67 Canadian Tire stores in the Greater Toronto and surrounding area for $3.49. While the poster is on sale, Toronto Maple Leaf Alumni on The One Hundred list will make appearances at select stores for public autograph sessions.

Fans purchasing the poster will also receive a unique code located on the back of the poster which can be entered at www.mapleleafs.com/theonehundred for a chance to win one of ten spots to participate in an Alumni experience involving members of The One Hundred list.